Choosing electives wisely

[Girfaroo]

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So I'm one of the students who really doesn't have a clue what I want to do... except I'm pretty sure I've ruled out surgery. Most other things are wide open (except the super competitive ones because I don't have a super competitive score or anything that stands out about me, really). After all the required 3rd year rotations are over, I probably only have time for 2 elective rotations to figure out what I like best (but these electives would also take time away from Step 2 prep). How do I pick wisely so that I don't turn in my ERAS thinking I haven't explored all my options?

And what if I think my personality/interests are more suited toward one of those more competitive specialties and I don't explore them because I don't think I have a shot? Will I regret this forever?

Not trying to be dramatic here, I just need to figure out how to get some direction without having experience to back it up.

 

[yuiness]

Try not to put so much weight on your 2 elective spots. After all, you have an equal chance of falling in love on one of your core rotations, so choosing the "right" electives isn't the be-all end-all. Also, as much as it feels like you need to pick the "right" specialty and that you'll be forever miserable if you don't, I really think that most people can be happy in a number of different specialties. Finally, people change their minds during residency all the time, so don't feel like the decision you make in 4th year is going to be the decision you're stuck with.

As for the choosing the electives, you can either take your best guesses about which rotations you'll enjoy the most, or you can consider taking rotations that you think will be useful no matter what you go into (radiology, for example).